Robert Pattinson wouldn’t be acting without the experience he had filming 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth movie of the Harry Potter film franchise based on books by J. K. Rowling. 

The actor played the role of Cedric Diggory, a heartthrob in the house of Hufflepuff at Hogwarts, who met a tragic end during the Triwizard Tournament at the hands of Peter Pettigrew.

Thankfully, the experience proved to be better for Pattinson than the character he played because the actor only has good things to say about the set of the film more than a decade later. 

Pattinson loved the ‘nice environment’ on set

Pattinson, now 33, revealed he had an enjoyable time filming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during a guest spot on the podcast, HFPA In Conversation, according to BuzzFeed. During the 43-minute episode that aired on Nov. 20, 2019, Pattinson described the atmosphere on the movie’s set as “nice,” “protective,” and “friendly.” 

“It was a really nice environment on Harry Potter,” he told Kristien Gijbels, whom he spoke with for the podcast. “Even compared to movies I’ve done since, it was very protective,” he added.

In the video clip below, Pattinson’s character dropped down from a tree — we’re still not sure about the meaning of his entrance all these years later — to the surprise of Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) and the rest of the Weasley family with the addition of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). 

Pattinson’s favorite part: ‘amazing’ press tour

When Gijbels asked Pattinson about his favorite part of the Harry Potter experience, he didn’t hesitate before saying, the press tour. They might be grueling for some actors because of the constant traveling and jam-packed schedules but this one was rather pleasant for a young Pattinson. 

“It was amazing,” he said.

“I remember going to Tokyo for the first time, and sitting in my room looking out over the city and being like, ‘How has this happened?’,” he recalled. “I really like that movie…I wouldn’t be acting if it wasn’t for that.”

So, we have Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to thank for giving us Pattinson’s role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series as well as one of our favorite movies of his, Remember Me (2010). 

He called it ‘very friendly family’

Pattinson had been in his late teens during filming and in his early twenties when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire premiered in theaters on Nov. 18, 2005. And what has stuck with him about the movie is the family-oriented feel on set.

“The way the kids were treated…In Harry Potter they were at school and they were kind of doing work at the same time,” he recalled. “It felt like a very friendly family environment.”

Being that the movie took place at a school for young witches and wizards, there were plenty of kids on set including the main cast members Radcliffe, Watson, and Rupert Grint who played Gryffindor students and best friends Harry, Hermione, and Ron Weasley.

Pattinson recently starred in Lighthouse, which premiered on Oct. 18, 2019. Next up he’ll take on the role of a superhero, Batman, in The Batman.